


When Uber Becomes Tinder

by larryologymajor



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-11 23:06:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16861768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larryologymajor/pseuds/larryologymajor
Summary: "I think it would be nice if I get to see you again tonight. Think I forgot something in your car ;)"-Uber passengerWhen Ember, a 30-something grad student and Uber driver, clocked in to drive the college crowd on a Thursday night in the middle of a blizzard, she didn’t foresee how the (seriously adorable and flirtatious but probably way too young for her) guy she picked up twice would change her life. (Aka the night Ashton confused Uber for Tinder.)*****Author’s note: the thoughts, words, and actions of all characters are unique to this story and bar no actual resemblance to their namesakes.





	1. Thursday

**Thursday.**

Ember squinted into the dark night, unsure that her Uber driver app directed her to the right pickup location near campus. She hesitantly slipped her SUV into park and flicked on the windshield wiper, watching a clump of ice slide methodically across the glass leaving an angry wet streak in its wake.

Minneapolis was in the middle of a 3-day snowstorm, and Ember was deadset on taking advantage of her new SUV's all wheel drive system to propel her through the icy slush. Ember blinked at the darkness and prayed to the imaginary rideshare gods that the ice would deter a lot of drivers in two-wheel drive cars from logging in tonight.

Ember was a graduate student with a full ride scholarship and part time pay. She more than a decade older and wiser than the traditional college-aged kids she saw daily on campus, but she didn't mind. Being around them made her feel young. Driving Uber also helped her feel connected to her community because she primarily drove the college-aged crowd. However, Uber was also an important supplement to her monthly stipend.

So tonight, in the middle of a Minnesota snowstorm, a lack of drivers would be a blessing in disguise, resulting in higher surge fares. Ember's bank account could definitely benefit from from an extra income boost.

Impatient and irritated that her passenger wasn't waiting at the door for her, Ember glanced at the Uber app and noted that she still had more than two minutes left on her obligatory three minute waiting period. Although the countdown timer annoyed Ember, she was grateful that she could charge a passenger a no-show fee and be on her merry way if they didn't show up before the timer expired.

With the heat blasting in the car and her seat heater roasting her back, Ember was on fire. She threw open her door, unbuckled her seatbelt and jumped out of the car. She grimaced when her left foot sloshed through an icy water puddle drenching over the top of her ankle height rain boot; she shrugged off her waist length down feather winter jacket and flipped the shiny black hood over the headrest of her seat to hang neatly before sliding skillfully back into the car, buckling her seatbelt simultaneously; a maneuver she practiced daily after sitting in her car for a few hours. Ember swiftly adjusted the zipper on her favorite black band hoodie to reveal a hint of the pink wrap athletic shirt and black leggings she wore underneath. She was a firm believer in dressing comfortably and modestly while she drove.

The countdown timer on the Uber app blinked at Ember. With only a minute and a half remaining on the display, she was starting to doubt she was in the right spot; quickly tapped the button to shoot a confirmation text to her passenger, Ash:

> Hey! This is Ember with Uber. Uber directed me to your alley, is the street or the alley better? I can circle around to the front if I need to.

Killing time, it only took a few seconds for Ember to fiddle with the heat, restart her favorite Uber playlist, and flip down the mirror to check her appearance. She tucked a few strands of her chestnut hair back into the carefully styled fishtail braid that hung over her left shoulder and recolored her lips mauve with her favorite matte liquid lip paint.

She hummed quietly along to Niall Horan as he strummed his guitar through her speakers and squeezed her eyes shut for a quick moment, willing herself not to cry under the inky winter sky. Niall's song _Flicker_ spoke to her heart in ways she couldn't describe and she cried nearly every time she heard it. 

The instant her phone dinged, signaling a reply, she looked up:

> Either is fine! I'll be out in the alley in a sec!

Ember quickly tapped out another reply:

> Okay, I'm waiting in the alley in the green SUV with my flashers on.

Ember sighed; her Uber app was directing her to cancel the ride if her passenger didn't show. Like a stealth ninja, a college-aged boy yanked open the rear driver-side door and tumbled in. Laughter fell off his lips and he smiled, telling Ember, "Ugh. I swear the rest of the boys were right behind me!"

She figured it would be her luck that there were more than four passengers and she would have to cancel the ride because she didn't have enough seatbelts in the car for them.

The door closed and the dim dome light above shone down on the boy revealing tufts of bubblegum colored hair peeking out from beneath a black slouchy beanie. While they waited, Ember eyed him suspiciously. "Are you a student around here?" she asked. There was a decent chance he'd say yes and it was a topic Ember could converse in without much effort.

Before he could reply, three more figures appeared from the murky shadows and Ember felt a wave of relief wash over her, grateful that she wouldn't have to cancel this ride.

The rear passenger door opened once again and Ember's ears filled with the playful bantering of several male voices. "Michael, move over!"

"Shut up, Luke, I'm already buckled in. You have long legs. Use them to walk around to another door!"

Ember was processing tidbits of information - the guy sitting behind her was a Michael. If he didn't order the ride, who did?

The boy, _Luke_ , Ember thought, closed the door and quickly dashed around the front of the car. His long strides told Ember he was tall and Ember's eyes tracked his movement. Although it was dark, he paused mid-stride to look straight at Ember through the windshield, his blue eyes making eye contact with her. When he continued, Ember watched his curly hair bounced against his heather gray beanie as he lunged for the front door handle and piled in before anyone could stop him. He hadn't ordered the ride either.

Finally, the remaining door wrenched open. "Calum, I really hate you right now," a third boy spouted cheekily as he was shoved into the middle spot in the back seat. Despite the hurtful words, he had a smile on his face. He pushed his curly hair away from his eyes before extending an arm around the boy to his left, "Mikey, make some room!"

Ember watched the fourth boy, _Calum_ , she thought, clamber in to occupy the remaining seat on the passenger side. Ember blinked. He was stunning in his black leather jacket. All of these boys were good looking, and for once, they didn't reek of stale cigarettes or liters of vodka Red Bull.

She felt the SUV shake as all four boys tried to situate themselves. When all the doors of the SUV closed, Ember clicked the button to start their trip and reveal their destination. Smiling warmly, she greeted the group. "Hey, I'm Ember. I need all of you to fasten your seatbelts before we can get going. Which one of you is Ash?"

The boy in the middle spot of the backseat smiled widely, showing off impressively deep dimples and sparkling eyes, "I'm Ashton."

Ember studied him in the review mirror for a split second. His smile was friendly and she felt at ease with this group, unlike the creepy feeling she often got when she picked up groups of drunken college boys. She blinked and looked away from the mirror. He was seriously cute, probably a lot younger than her, and Ember felt a little intimidated by his his gaze.

When she heard the final seatbelt click shut she turned around in her seat to face Ashton, "Where are we headed tonight?"

Ashton rattled off an address that matched the one on her display so she put the car in drive and made her way out of the alley. The five of them made insignificant small talk on the twenty minute ride to their destination; she and Ashton laughed flirtatiously, making eye contact a few times in the rear view mirror. The rest of the boys chimed in too, asking Ember rapid fire questions about driving Uber and school, then they chatted about local music venues and the rapidly expanding brewery scene in Minnesota. Detecting a slight Australian lilt to the melodic cadence of their voices, Ember nudged the heat up in the car just a bit, fully aware that these boys were not native to the Midwest and likely unaccustomed to blustery Minnesota winters.

Before they knew it Ember pulled into the parking lot of their destination and tapped the button to finish their ride and gave Ashton a 5-star rating. She already had another ride lined up so she hurried them out of the car with a bright smile and her standard parting, "It was nice meeting you all, have a good night!"

By the time Ember finished another five rides, she was desperately ready for a bathroom break, snack, and a refill of her giant Diet Coke for another caffeine boost. It was only 9:30pm and despite being Thursday night, she knew the college bar scene was only now coming alive. Ember wanted to drive into early hours of the morning, hoping to get another dozen rides before the end of the night so she could pay off most of her rent. After topping off her gas tank and taking care of business, Ember hopped back into her car and moved to a parking spot; there she logged back into Uber and waited for a pickup ping.

Ember really liked her Uber job. She liked to provide warm and safe rides to people during these terrible snowstorms. Her favorite demographic to drive was the college-aged, 20-somethings at bar close, especially on Thursday nights, and even more so on cold, snowy nights. She knew that most of her passengers were appreciative of her outgoing personality and personal driving mantra, "slow and steady," during icy conditions because it showed in the influx of tips and positive ratings. 

Still waiting for a ride request to ping in, Ember scrolled through the tabs in her Uber app, quickly glancing at her earnings and passenger ratings. She had recently hit 1,000 rides and she was really proud of her 4.96 rating.

Tonight Ember was impressed by the unusually high number of notes left in her feedback tab. She stopped scrolling as a wide grin spread across her face. It didn't take much guesswork for Ember to know which passenger left this note:

> Thanks for getting me and my mates home safe. Sorry if we were too rambunctious for you. I'll be sorry if I don't see you again. Xx

Ember was lost in thought wondering what prompted the cute and flirtatious Australian boy to leave such a note. He was easily 24, but that still made him at least a decade younger than her. Ember knew she wasn't drop-dead gorgeous, but she wasn't ugly either. She considered her best publicly viewable assets to be her friendly smile, one dimple, and bright green eyes. On the inside, Ember was really self conscious about being overweight, especially when her large chest was always front and center. She didn't flaunt her breasts, like so many women her age would if they had them; however, she couldn't exactly hide them either.

The Uber app pinged, startling Ember back to reality. She reconnected her phone to the pop socket mount on her dash, clicked the button to accept the ride request and took a long sip of Diet Coke before backing out of her parking spot and putting the car into motion.

******

Two hours flew by and Ember didn't know where the time went. She had a continuous stream of back-to-back pickups, mostly college students heading out to grab dinner and drinks. Because the roads were icy and the snow was still coming down like an army of sleet balls, driving required serious concentration and Ember kept her eyes on the road and only glanced at her phone to tap the accept button when a new ping came in. Focused on the road and following the audible driving cues from Uber's navigation, she generally didn't pay attention to rider names or pickup locations provided on the screen until she arrived.

It was nearly midnight and Ember was on her way to another pickup. She slowed down, approaching a red light, when she realized that she'd already driven through this neighborhood earlier that night. She pulled into the parking lot of the small, 6 story, apartment complex where she ended her first ride of the night. It was the same spot where she dropped off the four cute Australian boys. And this was the same spot where she was once again waiting for Ash.

The Uber app started its 3-minute countdown and Ember busied herself checking the floors in the backseat looking for any forgotten items. A minute went by and there was still no sign of her passenger. Ready for another bathroom break, Ember was anxious to get this ride started and finished so she could freshen up before the madness of bar close began. She dialed the volume down on her playlist and hit the call button to connect with Ash through Uber's phone relay system, masking her identity and personal phone number.

The phone rang twice through her Bluetooth system sounding out through her speakers. "Hello?"

Ember heard a faint voice, barely audible over pounding bass and loud laughter in the background. "Hi, this is Ember with Uber again. Am I picking you up at the same door where I dropped you off at earlier?"

"Ugh, yeah. Hold on, I'll be right there!" shouted the voice on the other end.

Ember heard a click and the call dropped. She looked at the countdown timer. 45 seconds later the front passenger door opened and Ashton climbed in. Alone. Ember's heart stuttered for a second when he looked at her and grinned, his hazel eyes artfully studying her face. She didn't know what to say, so she said, "Welcome back. Where are we headed? Where's the gang?"

Still grinning, Ashton picked up pieces of their conversation from earlier like they hadn't skipped a beat. "The boys are staying in, but I'm going to check out that new brewery you suggested."

While Ember drove, they bantered flirtatiously and Ashton tried his hardest to convince her to quit driving for the night and come in to grab a beer. She was really flattered that someone so young and attractive would be interested in her company.

As she rolled up to the door, Ashton made puppy dog eyes at her. "Are you sure you can't come in for one beer? It's on me!" 

Having a beer meant forgoing driving Uber for the rest of the night. Ember smiled, really tempted to join him, but she knew she would miss peak surge hours at bar close and lose out on making another good chunk of money if she quit driving now. "You're sweet," she started. "But I have to work tonight. Maybe our paths will cross again and I can take you up on that beer."

Ashton tossed her a wink and sheepish grin before he climbed out of the car. Ember closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling the masculine blend of balsam, sandalwood and cypress that he left behind. Her scalp tingled. The scent reminded her of wet earth on a crisp fall day. Once he disappeared into the brewery, Ember pulled away from the curb and hit the accept button to take another ride.

*****

At 3:15 am, Ember called it a night and headed home. Coincidentally, she dropped someone off about a mile from her apartment and knew it was a sign she should go to bed before her eyes became any more fatigued.

In her apartment, Ember stood in the bathroom, studying herself in the mirror. She had already taken off the little bit of makeup she wore, brushed her teeth, let loose her braid and put her crimped hair up in a bun on top of her head. She was reaching for her pink silk pajama set when her phone rang. She rushed into her bedroom to pick up, but she didn't recognize the number and hesitated. It dawned on her that she forgot to check the floor in her car for lost items before she ran inside. She instantly jabbed at the accept button to take the call, wondering if this was a rider calling because they lost something crucial in her car, like a wallet. 

"Hello," she answered sleepily.

"Are you still out driving?" questioned a male's voice on the other end. Ember didn't recognize it.

"No," she replied, "I'm done for the night and crawling into bed. Who is this?"

"Oh. I need a ride," he replied.

"I'm sorry, I'm logged out." She yawned. "But you can put in a request through the app and you'll get whatever driver is closest to you," directed Ember. "Goodnight."

"Okay, bye," the call ended.

Ember didn't think once about the phone call, who was calling, or how they got her number. She laid her phone down on the night table then walked sleepily back to the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

Her phone rang again while she took out her contacts and gulped a small glass of water. Twice.

Ember tugged down the hem of her pink silk pajama cami. Her feet pattered across the wood floor of the dining room as she returned to her bedroom. She scratched her kitten under the chin before crawling under her down duvet. Tomorrow was her day off and she intended to sleep in. She picked up her phone from the night table to switch on Do Not Disturb mode and verify that her alarm wasn't set for an ungodly early time. That's when she saw the new text notification from Uber:

> Oops! A passenger left something in car. Here's what they said: 
> 
> I think it would be nice if I get to see you again tonight. Think I left something in your car ;) Text me 555-555-5555. Ash.
> 
> Call them directly at 555-555-5555. After you meet, you can request a return fee from the 'get help' menu in your driver ride history.

It was in that moment that Ember realized the mystery caller was Ashton and his intent was likely a hookup. Ember's heart stuttered. She was beyond confused and really wanted to question his motives, but she took a deep breath and her eyelashes fluttered slightly before drifting off to sleep.

...


	2. Friday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > Do you want me to call you an Uber? Ironic, huh...
> 
> -Ashton 

**Friday.**

Ember awoke Friday morning feeling refreshed. From bed, she blindly swooshed aside the black out window curtain in her bedroom. Although Ember couldn't clearly see anything, she scrunched her eyes shut at the sudden influx of sunlight that signaled the end of the snow storm. She rolled over to grab her glasses of the night stand and climbed her way out of bed. Peeping through the window shade in her bedroom, Ember admired the sun glistening off the snow like tiny diamonds crystallized on the ground. Quietly she stepped into her fuzzy slippers and snagged her robe that was draped over the headboard of her bed. She picked up her phone and slid it into her robe pocket then made her way into the kitchen where she blindly stabbed at the power button of her Keurig. Her eyes refused to focus. Clearly Ember needed her daily boost of caffeine.

Ember grabbed her favorite coffee mug from the cabinet, not caring that the words were long faded and the rim had a weathered chip in it. Her best friend, Anna, had given it to her many birthdays ago and, although they lived states apart, drinking from that cup somehow made her feel like they were in the same room together sharing their favorite blend and laughing like old times.

After Ember sucked down her first cup of coffee, she stretched out on the couch and turned her attention to her phone. She vaguely recalled receiving that lost item text last night from Uber, so she chuckled as she again read the words her flirtatious passenger had written. Ember admired Ashton's courage to send it, but damn she was confused.

In her two years of driving Uber, that text was by far the most interesting thing that had happened to her and it was certainly her first fake "I forgot something" aka "let's hook up" message. Curiosity was on Ember's mind and she wanted to know more about this guy. Ember reached over to grab her laptop from the shelf under the coffee table and powered it on. Once it booted, Ember opened two tabs in her browser: Google and Facebook.

Ember first typed Ashton's phone number into Google but didn't really find any interesting hits. Next she typed his phone number into the Facebook search box. The results popped up and after scanning the names and tiny picture thumbnails, Ember silently cheered when she located a match to what she was looking for.

She clicked on the thumbnail of Ashton's smiling face. Her mind was a complete whirlwind of disbelief as she read through his profile. Ashton Irwin. Music/Band. 5 Seconds of Summer. Drummer. World Tour. 415,000 likes. Billboard #1.

Ember closed her eyes and shuddered from head to toe. She gently closed her laptop and reached over to pet her kitten who was curled up next to her, lightly snoring. "Who is this kid??" she asked out loud to no one, although her kitten rolled over and blinked an eye in her direction.

Ember spent the next several hours on her couch, in pajamas, surfing the internet. She was convinced that she had gone to the end of YouTube and back learning everything she could about Ashton Irwin, the hot young Australian with a quirky personality from a famous pop rock band. Ember sat on her couch grinning. How did she become so enamored? Ha, wait. She knew that answer. His performer personality was sparkling, smile wide and bursting with pride over his work and band mates, eyes bright, and laughter loud. God, she didn't really know the guy but she was in love with his laughter. She wondered if his real-life personality was anything like his stage persona.

Her head was throbbing from staring at her computer screen, so she shut it down and grabbed her phone. She opened up Spotify and queued up a 5 Seconds of Summer playlist. Ember walked to the bathroom and tossed her phone on the counter commanding her Amazon Echo Dot to take over playing the Spotify list. She gulped down a few ibuprofen to mitigate her headache and eye strain before stripping off her pajamas; then Ember jumped in the tub to take a relaxing bubble bath.

Forty-five minutes later, Ember was out of the shower and changing into clean clothes. She laughed to herself as the song "She Looks So Perfect" poured out from the Echo Dot in her bathroom. Standing there in her underwear, she settled on her favorite dark wash skinny jeans and super soft maroon Henley. Ember loved how the three delicate snaps on the front crept from her cleavage to collarbone to accentuated her breasts without flaunting them.

Ember's stomach growled and she realized it was nearly dinner time already. She skipped breakfast in favor of coffee, and she was much to occupied with her Ashton reconnaissance to eat lunch. She rifled through her freezer until she pulled out a frozen dinner.

When the dinner tray was in the over, Ember returned her attention to her phone again, internally debating if she should message Ashton back. She reasoned with her self that she should message him back in case he was going to be cranky and report to Uber that she stole something he lost. Ember clicked open a new text message and carefully composed a message:

> Hi, this is Ember from Uber. Sorry you 'forgot' something in my car last night. ;) It was a pleasure chatting with you during your rides, hope you have a great day!

Less than a minute later, Ember's phone dinged with a reply. Her fingers shook nervously as she unlocked her phone.

> Hey. lol I wish I could have gotten it back last night ;) hope your day has been good!

Ember's heart raced. Was he trying to flirt with her? She quickly tapped out a reply:

> I put my phone on do not disturb and went straight to bed. I'm too old to stay out late haha.

Again, another reply from Ashton:

> Lol understandable but I wouldn't say all that.

Ember was baffled beyond belief; she quickly shot back a reply:

> Why's that?

Seconds later, Ashton replied:

> Age doesn't mean anything.

She was confused. So so confused. But she put on a brave face and silently thanked all of her friends in the undergraduate program for her keeping her young during grad school. Quickly she tapped out another reply:

> Definitely not. I'm a firm believer that you're only as old as you think you are.

Several long minutes went by, and Ember's oven timer sounded, letting her know that her frozen dinner was ready. She was pulling it out of the oven when she head her phone ding, vibrating in place on the couch. She peeled away the foil cover to let it cool for a few minutes before returning to the phone. Ashton agreed with her theory.

> Exactly, that's a great belief to have.

She read Ashton's latest reply and let the conversation quietly die.

*****

The rest of her afternoon was business as usual. Homework, laundry, errands. She was in a great mood and almost ready to login to her Uber app. She grabbed her jacket and shuffled down the hallway and out to her SUV. She drove over to the gas station across the street where she needed to top off her gas tank, wash her windows, and grab her customary Diet Coke.

Within a minute of logging into her Uber app, Ember was off to her first pickup of the night. It was Friday night and business was hopping! Several hours went by but Ember didn’t even notice because the back-to-back pickups kept her busy. 10:30pm rolled around and the app was quieting down. Ember took advantage of the lull and pulled into the parking lot of a restaurant open 24/7 to sneak in and use the bathroom.

As she approached her car, her phone dinged, signaling a new text. It was Ashton:

> Driving tonight?

Ember wasn’t sure what to say, so she tapped out:

> Yes

Ashton:

> Lol I just ordered one, wish it was you.

Ember rolled to a stop at a red light and quickly replied, feeling brave.

> Cancel?

Ashton fired back:

> They just pulled up....

Ember spotted an empty parking spot and carefully swooped in so she could focus on her phone.

> That's tragic...

Ashton:

> Wish I could see you

Ember:

> Where are you heading?

Ashton:

> Downtown

Ember was at a loss for what to say. She was thinking when her phone dinged again.

Ashton:

> Don’t you want to see me?

Ember:

> Well..... maybe if I get a drop off downtown I’ll message you for your location and stop by to say hello.

Ashton:

> Just to say hello?

Ember knew she was sliding down a slippery slope, but chatting with this boy was outside her comfort zone and it excited her.

Then without warning she got a pickup request at a bar 15 minutes away from her. Knowing the crowd who patronized that bar, she was probably heading out to the countryside at least 25 minutes from town to drive them home.

As Ember pulled up to the curb at her passengers pickup location, she clicked the button to confirm her arrival. She minimized her Uber app and shot Ashton one last message:

> Heading to drop someone off out in the country. It’ll be at least an hour, maybe longer, until I’m back downtown.

Although it was dark, Ember expertly navigated her way through the countryside with her passengers. A sleepy, and likely inebriated, late 20-something male sat immediately behind her. His female counterpart sat beside him in the back seat. She chatted animatedly with Ember, completely convinced that she and Ember had met before. Finally, Ember pulled into her passengers driveway and put the car in park so the duo could get out safely. Once they were out the car she shifted into reverse and stepped lightly on the gas. Nothing happened. Ember was stuck; her poor SUV was billowing smoke out from the engine. She quickly popped the hood latch and jumped out of the car while her male passenger came running over and they both stared at the engine in disbelief as it spewed an unrecognizable fluid all over the driveway. It was black out and neither of them could tell what was going on with the car. Ember wanted to cry.

The wife urged her to come sit in the kitchen with her while they figured out what to do. Reluctantly, Ember followed her into the house and dialed her roadside assistance hotline. While she waited on hold, she tapped out a message to Ashton:

> Raincheck on seeing you. My car is acting weird and I’m stuck out in the country waiting for a tow.

Moments later, her phone dinged.

> Do you want me to call you an Uber? Ironic, huh...

Meanwhile, Ember was patched through to towing dispatch. “What do you mean you can’t get a truck out here to tow me for three hours? It’s already 2am! What if I find someone local? Can I pay them myself and submit for reimbursement?” Ember pleaded to the phone. After nodding a few times, she spoke again. “I’d really like to have my Subaru towed to my apartment building until the dealership opens up on Monday morning, then on Monday I’ll need to have it towed to Subaru.”

Satisfied with their response, Ember promised to call back and cancel the roadside assistance tow when she found someone who could be there sooner then hung up.

Ember wanted to cry again. Tim, her male passenger, chimed in, sobering up slightly. “I’m a mechanic and my buddy lives up the road. He runs a tow company. He owes me a favor and I’d love to drag his ass out of bed. Can I call him for you?”

Grateful, Ember agreed and waited quietly while Tim made a phone call. As Tim spoke to his buddy on the phone, Ember watched Tim nod his head. “Yeah, she drives a Subaru so you’ll need something that can pull all-wheel drive.”

Tim turned to Ember, “My buddy Dan will be here in about 30 minutes to tow you home. Feel free to hang out downstairs until he gets here.”

Ember could have hugged him. “Thank you so much for helping me out, you’re a huge lifesaver.”

“Ah, it’s no problem. You got us home safe. I just wish I was more sober to take a better look under your car,” Tim chuckled.

Ember sat back down to call her roadside assistance hotline to cancel their dispatch with the three hour wait. When she hung up, her Snapchat app notified her that she had a new friend request. Ember almost freaked out. The user who added her was @ashton5sos.

She accepted his request and sent him a selfie captioned

> Worst night ever. Car is broken. Waiting to be towed home.

Within seconds she had a reply. Ashton sent a selfie back.

> How about that Uber? ;)

Ember immediately snapped another selfie,

> lol that’s super ironic but I’m going to wait here with my car. I’ll probably be home in a few hours.

Ashton was waiting for her snap because his response came back in rapid succession. This time, he was shirtless and the snap showed only his tanned torso and sculpted shoulders,

> Are you sure? I could make your night a hell of a lot better...

Ember wanted so badly to screen capture that snap, but she knew she’d look like a fool if she did so instead she tried committing it to memory. In that moment she felt too old to be having this sort of conversation with someone so young, yet alone so famous. So she sent her final snap, a shot of her shoes.

> Sorry buttercup, I’m going home and going to bed.

Ashton shot back another selfie, this time it was his beautiful lips posed in a pout, shadowed by the dim light.

> Bae? Try me when you get home. I’d love to come over and sleep. Nothing more.

Ember switched over to the chat feature, not knowing what else to snap.

> Bae? Oh boy, now things are getting serious. I’m much too old for that word.

She watched Ashton’s emoji pop up and could see he was typing.

> Age is just a number, bae. *kissy face emoji*

Ember could see lights in the driveway and hear tires in the snow, so she peered out the window to see that the tow truck had arrived. She and Tim both hurried outside. When the cold winter air hit Ember’s face, she clicked open the car locks and grabbed her winter jacket from the driver’s seat. It was was icy cold. Why hadn’t she thought to bring it in to warm up.

It took nearly 25 minutes to get the Subaru all strapped onto the tow trailer. Ember told Tim thank you, again, and said goodbye as she hopped into the passenger seat of the tow truck.

It was a few minutes past 4 am when the Subaru was unloaded into Ember’s parking lot and the tow truck left. She snapped a picture of her disabled car and e-mailed a copy of her receipt to herself. Feeling depressed that she was going to lose out on time driving and she was going to spend all of her rent money to fix her car, Ember trudged her way inside. She quickly undressed, changed into pajamas and fed her kitty. Right before she crawled into bed, she sent a text to Ashton attached to a picture of her car.

> Got my car towed back to my apartment okay. Thanks for try to cheer me up tonight... Goodnight!

Ember put her phone on Do Not Disturb and quickly fell into a deep sleep.

...


	3. Saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> > So you're not going out driving tonight?
> 
> -Ashton 

**Saturday.**

It was nearly 9 am on Saturday morning when Ember was jarred awake from a deep sleep. Her phone was violently buzzing from the night stand, no longer in _Do Not Disturb_ mode, but still on silent. She blindly pawed at the table surface trying to grab her phone.

"Hello?" She answered sleepily. Ember listened for a minute; she had forgotten all about her disastrous experience driving Uber last night. Ember nodded her head and quietly replied with a few _yeah_ 's and _okay_ 's before ending the call with her roadside assistance representative.

Ember's kitten crawled into bed and laid on the pillow with her. Ember tried to scratch under the kitten's chin, but the cat was more content with chewing on Ember's finger. Knowing she likely wouldn't fall back asleep, Ember gave the kitten a quick cuddle and crawled out of bed. She slapped her glasses on her face, shoved her phone in the kangaroo pouch of the long-sleeve tee she wore over her pink cami, then ambled into the kitchen where she stabbed at the Keurig through squinted eyes and waited for it to come to life.

Coffee and breakfast in hand, Ember sprawled out on the couch. Although it was sunny out, the outside temperature dipped colder overnight without cloud cover and her apartment felt cooler than normal. She pulled at a blanket from the back of the couch and spread it out over her legs. Moments later the kitten bounded up onto the couch, so Ember lifted up a corner and coaxed her kitten, "Come here goofball. Snuggle under the blanket and get warm." The kitten complied and pressed her body against Ember's leg; she was rewarded with vibrations from the kitten purring.

Later that afternoon, Ember was bundled up and heading out the door to pick up a few essential groceries from the convenience store across the street. It was cold out and she didn't want to walk, but her fridge was fairly empty and she had a long week ahead of her between school projects and exams. As Ember stepped out her door, her text signal dinged. It was Ashton: 

> Hello

Ember grinned to herself and typed out: 

> Hi :) How are you?

Then she slipped her phone into her jacket pocket and pushed open the door to exit her building. The sun was bright but the wind was wicked. She hurriedly crossed the street to the convenience store and walked even faster when her phone dinged again from her pocket. She slid into the foyer of the store and stepped over a puddle of melted snow, quickly exchanging her gloves for her phone.

Ashton:

> I'm good. Bored. How are you?

Ember sighed.

> Meh. My car is out of commission for a few days, so I walked to the store near my apartment to pick up a few things.

Ashton:

> So you're not going out driving tonight?

Ember:

> Definitely not, although I wish I was. Instead I'm stuck at home.

Ember's phone was quiet for a few seconds, so she slid her phone into her jacket pocket and grabbed a basket from the foyer then proceeded into the store. She quickly walked the aisles and loaded her basket with milk, yogurt, coffee creamer, sliced turkey, her favorite cranberry wild rice bread, eggs, and butter. Then, for good measure, she tossed a frozen pizza in her basket and headed towards the coffee station. Her phone dinged again. She set her basket on the floor and slid it out and unlocked it in one fluid motion.

Ashton: 

> Well, at least you get to chill at home and take a break?

Ember:

> True, but I was looking forward to making more money tonight. I don't really have a job right now other than driving.  
>  But on the bright side, I'll be able to watch the hockey game on TV tonight.

Ember grabbed a thick paper cup and pushed a few buttons on the latte machine. She stared at the brown liquid coming from the machine thinking that she should have brought a reusable bag with for her groceries. Her phone dinged again as the machine sputtered out the last few drops of espresso.

Ashton: 

> Understandable. Do you think you'll need some company tonight?

_Holy Shit_ thought Ember as her heart raced. She wasn't sure what she wanted, or what to tell him. So she blinked a few times, slid her phone back into her jacket pocket, then gathered her basket and latte cup and headed to the checkout line. 

Once Ember was home, she slid the frozen pizza into the oven and took a long pull of espresso; the liquid warmed her on the inside and the cup felt nice against her icy fingers. 

As her pizza cooked, Ember turned on the TV just in time for the 7:07 pm puck drop and thought about the last text from Ashton. She unlocked her phone and posed her fingers over the keyboard, slowly tapping out:

> Will you be disappointed if I say yes, but just to hang out? My life is a lot complicated right now.

Ember finished her latte, ate her pizza, and cheered loudly whenever her team made a good play or scored a goal. The game ended with Ember's team winning 4 to 3 after two overtime periods. It was nearing midnight, much later than Ember expected and she was exhausted from her lack of sleep the previous night. 

She still hadn't heard from Ashton, and she figured it was a lost cause. But she put on a brave face and sent him one more text: 

> I think I'm going to bed soon. I'm so exhausted.

A few seconds later, her phone dinged. It was Ashton. He replied:

> *thumbs down* *thumbs down*

Ember scoffed at the thumbs down emojis and wrote back:

> Haha, I told you I'm too old to stay out late, didn't I? *laughing emoji* I need at least 8 hours of sleep to function and I'm running on 3.

Her phone dinged again seconds later. 

> Lol so you don't want to see me?

Ember was confused. 

> I didn't say that. I just said that I'm exhausted and going to bed.

Ashton:

> Lol you can't be that tired.

Ember: 

> No, I really am... Zzzzzzz... Even my kitten is ready for bed.

Ashton: 

> Well, what if I want to see you?

Ember's heart stuttered again, and she furrowed her brow in confusion.

> Ohh, I see. I appreciate the honesty although I'm a bit confused. Out of curiosity, how old do you think I am? Age doesn't really matter, but like I said, my life is complicated and I'd like to put some context to it

Her phone dinged twice before she could unlock it. Two more messages from Ashton:

> 35  
>  Lol

Ember's mouth gaped open at her screen. He was right and she wanted to know how the hell he knew.

> Well fuck. Either I have a bad memory and told you, you're an incredible guesser, or you're stalking me ;) tbh I don't know which one it is lol

Ashton:

> Honestly, it was a good guess

Ember thought for a minute about everything she knew about him thanks to her endless hours of reconnaissance. But, she had to ask.

> Well you were spot on with your guess. 35 isn't that old and I don't feel old, I just can't stay up that late anymore without regretting it. Besides, all of my friends here at school are 22 year old boys who call me mom ;) They keep me young.

Ashton:

> Lol I can call you mom... ;)

Ember's eyes flew wide open reading that one; her fingers flew across the keyboard manically, reiterating the words she spoke out loud while laughing:

> Oh god, no, you can't call me mom! And why me?

Ashton: 

> What do you mean?

Ember:

> What do you mean _'what do you mean'_?? Why did you call and message me through the Uber app to report your _'lost'_ item? I'm sure know a lot of people and have a ton of friends that you can call...

Ashton: 

> It's worth it.

Ember, still trying to get an answer from him, tried once more:

> Why me? It's not like this is Tinder...

Ember scrolled back through the conversation for a few minutes, but didn't see another reply come in from Ashton, so she switched her phone to Do Not Disturb, sent her best friend at school, Ben, a quick text wishing him goodnight, and went to bed.

**Author's Note:**

> ***  
> Thanks for reading! <3 Was there something in here that made you laugh or smile? I’d like to know - a comment would really make my day!
> 
> Come say hi on [Tumblr](https://thestudyof5sos.tumblr.com).


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